Information technology (IT) shows great promise to increase the quality, safety and accessibility of healthcare systems while reducing costs in healthcare. In particular, it can lower the mortality rates, improve patient safety and vaccination rates and increase the use of recommender procedures [1]. The emerging cloud platforms, mobile computing and Big Data analytics have stimulated rapid digital transformation of healthcare over the past decade and set basis for several trends.

For example, one of the emerging trends is telemedicine. It offers patients the opportunity to access health care options regardless their geographic location – a simple conference call is sufficient to get the prescription update. Another interesting trend are digitalized patient medical records and wearables that are used to collect patient data including their activity levels, pulse, blood pressure or oxygen levels. Big Data analytics is also not an exception in healthcare since the acquired data can be analyzed and used for recommendation of preventive treatment [2].

One interesting example presents a Slovenian SME GenePlanet that specialises in preventive genetic tests [3]. These tests are intended not only for clinical genetic tests, but also for end users to inform them about their health risks caused by genetic predispositions. Devoted to new discoveries and ensuring high quality services, this SME has just recently been recognised as the Best Biotech Startup in the Central and Eastern Europe region [3].    

Nevertheless, some challenges have to be addressed in order to fully realize the potential of digital transformation in healthcare. These challenges range from the design, implementation and use of health IT to measurement and quantification of health IT benefits and impact [1]. While resolving these challenges ensures a future for accessible and potentially more intelligent healthcare, the privacy of patients and healthcare providers is still the most crucial task due to the regulatory compliance requirements, such as the EU General Data Privacy Regulation [4]. For example, it has to be guaranteed that the use of artificial intelligence and anonymization algorithms on healthcare data would ensure the privacy of patients.

Overall, the positive impact of technology on healthcare cannot be neglected. Wearables, Big Data analytics and smart hospitals represent just a few examples of cutting-edge trends. The digital transformation is revolutionizing healthcare in novel ways and has a potential to make healthcare more personalized. Here, the understanding of patients’ demands plays the crucial role as benefits such as early detection and disease prevention could have potential to improve the quality of our lives.  

[1] R. Agarwal, G. Gao, C. DesRoches and A. Jha, “Research Commentary: The Digital Transformation of Healthcare: Current Status and the Road Ahead,” in Information Systems Research, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 796–809, 2010.

[2] Top six digital transformation trends in healthcare for 2019. Accessed: Feb. 18, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2019/01/03/top-6-digital-transformation-trends-in-healthcare-for-2019/#77ae12d06911

[3] GenePlanet Website. Accessed: Feb. 18, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://geneplanet.com

[4] A. Iyengar, A. Kundu and G. Pallis, "Healthcare Informatics and Privacy," in IEEE Internet Computing, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 29-31, Mar./Apr. 2018.